Custom Hearing Protection

The Importance of Hearing Protection

Do you work in a noisy environment, or spend a lot of time pursuing loud leisure activities? Are you employed as a construction worker, farmer, or factory worker? Maybe you go to a music concert or sports event every weekend, or enjoy road trips on your motorbike. These noisy activities will expose you to dangerously loud sounds, and you’ll risk permanent hearing loss. The best way to reduce your risk of hearing loss and safeguard your hearing is with hearing protection.

What is Noise Induced Hearing Loss?

Noise, or unwanted sound, is one of the most pervasive occupational health problems. Exposure to high levels of noise will cause hearing loss and may lead to other harmful health effects as well. The extent of the damage depends primarily on the intensity of the noise and the duration of the exposure. The louder a sound is, the sooner you’ll experience damage to your ears, and you’ll have a higher chance of hearing loss.

What Sounds Will Cause Noise Induced Hearing Loss?

If you have a hearing loss caused by damage to the ear canal that’s preventing sound from reaching your inner ear, an implantable device, such as the Bone Anchored Hearing Device (BAHA) can give you back the ability to hear. With a titanium implant behind the ear, you’ll hear sounds more naturally and clearly, and after a couple weeks you’ll forget the implant is even there. If you have hearing loss caused by damaged to the inner ear, a cochlear implant, or electronic device, can replace the function of the damaged area, and send signals straight to the brain to help you hear the sounds around you.

Other sounds that will damage your hearing include power tools, noisy construction sites and home tools such as your lawnmower or leaf blower. City streets can be notoriously loud, and the hallways of your child’s school could be causing hearing loss. Another common cause of noise induced hearing loss is your personal listening device such as your phone or iPod. With earbuds directing sounds right to your ear canal, and the volume on high to block out background noise, sound levels often reach 110 dB! At this volume, you’ll risk damaging your hearing in as little as one hour.

Hearing Protection Options

The best way to protect your hearing is to limit your exposure to these dangerously high noise levels, and avoid places with a lot of noise. If you can’t avoid the noise, wear hearing protection! Always keep foam or wax earplugs in your bag, and if you meet friends at a noisy bar, or attend a concert that’s getting very loud, pop in a pair of earplugs and offer an extra set to your friends. After you’ve been exposed to high noise levels, give your ears a break, and step out of the noise for a few minutes every hour or two. Keep your home very quiet after a noisy evening, and allow your ears a chance to rest.

Custom Hearing Protection

Are you in extremely noisy environments every day for work or leisure activities? Along with limiting your exposure to noise, protecting your hearing is crucial to maintain the health of your ears. At Whisper Hearing Centers, we have custom hearing solutions that will keep your ears safe, and protect you from hearing loss. Custom hearing protection is molded to fit the unique contours of your ears, and these ear plugs will block dangerous noise and reduce your chance of developing hearing loss. You can even invest in digital hearing protection that will scan the sounds around you. You’ll be able to hear safe sounds normally, and only dangerously loud sounds will be reduced, giving you the best of both worlds.